Easy Color Theory Tips for a Fun, Colorful Garden

When you see this scene in your front yard, you just know it’s a feel-good day. Why? Well, first and foremost, it means that new plants are finding their homes. (We ripped out almost every single plant and shrub around our home late last year) and second, it means that Monrovia plants are in the house! And you just can’t help but feel good about that.

When we see Monrovia plants popping up in our local garden centers, that’s when we know spring is really here. Last year, all the Monrovia plants we bought outlasted and outgrew our other plants by a longshot. So, this year, it’s Monrovia again for us. (Plus, my Mom approves. And she’s got the ultimate green thumb in the family.)

From colorful annuals to long-term friends like Wisteria or Rhododendrons, Monrovia has beautiful plants for any place you need a pop in color.

But where do you find Monrovia plants? Good news. This is an easy one. You may not have a specific Monrovia nursery nearby, but you can find them at Lowe’s and lots of other local plant centers, or you can even buy plants online.

We found our Monrovia plants at our local Lowe’s garden center, and while we’re not quite ready to commit yet to all of our landscape perennials yet, I was feeling a little bit desperate for a pop in color for our front yard whiskey barrels. We definitely found that POP with a rainbow of Marguerite Daisies, Mache Ranunculus, and Lyrical Silvertone Salvia. (Did you know that some Salvia varieties are also called “Wendy’s Wish”?)

Bonus for me at planting time: The kiddos were happy to jump in and help. I’m sure that had something to do with the bright, vibrant flowers. They sure don’t get this excited about bulbs or bushes!

Using the Color Wheel as a Garden Color Guide

If a harmonious, eye-catching garden is important to you, you’re not alone. Choosing a garden color scheme is one reason it’s taking me so long to get our new flowering shrubs and vines picked out. Luckily, some quick color theory tips can go far in helping you plan your garden colorscape. If you’re not familiar with the idea of primary, secondary and tertiary color relationships, don’t let that trip you up. Color theory can get a little complex, but the basics are super easy!

To get a great garden color scheme:

Go Monochromatic: Love a particular color more than any other? Keep an area monochromatic with colors that are all shade and tint variations of the same hue. For example: purple, violet, and lavender.

Combine Analagous Colors: Combine any 3 colors that appear next to each other on a 12-part color wheel.

Choose Complementary Colors: These are colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. For example: purple and yellow will provide maximum contrast and a balanced look to the eye.

Double Complementary Colors: Take it one step further with 2 sets of complementary colors. Keep them close on the wheel for a more blended look, for more contrast, widen the space between them.

Triad of Colors: Choose 3 colors that are equally spaced from each other on the color wheel. For example: green, orange and purple.

Of course, you can go completely random like we did for this particular project, and you really can’t go wrong. Since we were filling a half-barrel, it was more important to me to find differing heights of beautiful plants, and I did! What do you think? We did this yesterday, and the plants have already perked up so much and the new blooms are everywhere.

Wondering what you can plant in your area right now? Visit Monrovia online, enter your ZIP code, and they’ll tell you exactly what is ready to plant in your zone/area right now.

Get to know Monrovia, because they definitely know your garden. No matter where you live, Monrovia can help you decide what’s best to plant now.

Get a personalized recommendation of what to plant now in your zone so you can #GrowBeautifully, too!

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